Show e t h n f H l f. f y I J. J 1 1 s J i t- t l Bangerter Crenshaw face off on fusion funding battle Annalee Jerolman Contributing Writer What What- commitment Utah should make Inake to furthering fusion research is an issue that politicians educators and the media is preoccupied with In an effort to see both points of view Horizon interviewed interviewed interviewed in in- two heavyweights in the argument ment Governor ment-Governor Governor Norman Bangerter and radio host Mills NUlls Crenshaw Radio host Mills Crenshaw presented the joint of all four hosts of that station which calls for measures s that include spending freezes tax incentives and a Utah Prize and Technology Development Fund to keep fusion research in Utah Crenshaw revealed a plan that would award prize money to each principle discoverer discoverer discoverer dis dis- dis- dis coverer of new developable technology as long as they conduct their research in inthis inthis inthis this state The fund would reward upcoming upcoming up up- coming cOIning discoveries with tax-free tax cash according to that discovery's potential The plan calls for a maximum award ard of 1 SI million per discoverer Crenshaw says the 5 million Utah is offering to keep the most significant discovery discovery discovery dis dis- dis- dis covery of the century in Utah is only a drop in the bucket compared to what others may offer All four of urge the citizens of the state tate to put other projects on hold They say these funds would be better allocated allocated allocated allo allo- into the Utah Prize Fund Although the Governors Governor's office had hadnot hadnot hadnot not received any information regarding the Prize Fund at the time of the interview interview interview inter inter- view the Governor supports the concept of giving Utah students incentives for outstanding achievements Bangerter detailed a program already effective for high school students The Young Entrepreneur Award pays up to to creators of innovative products or procedures funded with private money In the interview the Governor said that 25 million has been offered by private sources to the University of Utah to help fund fusion research He said The liThe money has been taken care of for this The Governor did not however mention any conditions that may have to tobe be met before receiving this money Part of the Utah Prize Fund plan would require that discoveries would have to be proven valid before any money w was was s granted cd Another part of this plan would inspire companies to locate in Utah by offering tax zoning and licensing relief to those businesses that provide new permanent jobs at above entry level pay Crenshaw says that we should insist that legislators stop wasting the money weve we've given them and put it into something something something some some- thing that will make our state the center of research The casters say that if we have a plan to encourage this research to stay here it will draw other corporations to Utah to develop the new technology coming out of the state and will promote many new high paying jobs Although the controversy remains over whether fusion details have been validated Other labs claim to have duplicated the U of Us U's experiment and other countries are scrambling to get patents that will deliver big profits from the cold fusion discovery Crenshaw says that the biggest single problem we have is the lithe fact that the bureaucratic establishment does not want to give up a dime of taxes even if their stranglehold destroys the State They'd rather destroy the State than lose their power I dont don't know if we have any hope for that very reason Mills Crenshaw's advice to students is that they learn to recognize the difference difference difference dif dif- dif dif- ference between producers and looters as described in Ayn Rands Rand's book Atlas Shrugged He says We need to create a new generation of producers not a new generation of looters According to Crenshaw the money for the Prize Fund cou could Id come from other projects some politicians are promoting The hosts claim that million proposed for a light rail system in Salt Lake would only add to the growing tax burden of the state They believe this money would be better invested invested invested in in- vested in the Utah Prize The Thc Governor said in an open door meeting that a light rail system is a project that may come cOlne in time but that the time has not yet come Bangerter said that we first need to get people to commute with more than one person per car At this point it appears that light rail in Salt Lake is still only an idea The also feel that 70 70 million that may need to be spent simply trying to get the Olympics may cost twice as much as estimated and still produce no results The Governor disagreed because the city holds a 60 percent chance of being host city of the Winter Olympics Bangerter feels that the state could possibly possibly possibly pos pos- sibly gain as much as 50 million from this A source in the Governors Governor's office however said it may cost Utah taxpayers taxpayers taxpayers tax tax- payers more than this initially |